My Judson

On March 8, 2018, the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame will induct two outstanding Alabama women, Jessie Welch Austin and Jeanne Friegel Berman into its ranks with a ceremony in Marion, Ala. The induction ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Alumnae Auditorium on the Judson College campus. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Jessie Welch Austin was the first woman to be elected to a sheriff’s position in Alabama (1939) and later became warden at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. (Read full bio here.)

Jeanne Friegel Berman made contributions to the state’s political and civic life as founder of the Alabama League of Women Voters and lobbyist for the founding of the Mental Health Association of Alabama. (Read full bio here.)

The induction ceremony will be followed by a luncheon in Archibald Hall. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey will be the luncheon’s featured speaker. For more information about luncheon tickets, contact Beth Poole at bpoole1@judson.edu or 334-683-5167.

Eighty-nine women have been inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame since its establishment in 1970. Among those honored are Helen Adams Keller, Julia Strudwick Tutwiler, Coretta Scott King, Amelia Gayle Gorgas, Zora Neale Hurston, Tallulah Bankhead, and Rosa Parks. Nominees for induction must be from or affiliated with the state of Alabama and have made significant contributions to the state and nation. Inductees are chosen by unanimous vote of the Hall’s Board of Directors and are honored with special bronze plaques in the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame building, housed in A. Howard Bean Hall on the Judson College campus in Marion, Alabama.

For more information about the ceremony or inductees, contact Beth Poole at bpoole1@judson.edu or 334-683-5167. For more information about the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, visit the Hall of Fame website.